Number of Opioid Deaths in WI has Declined, According to DHS

New data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
says opioid deaths are at their lowest level since 2015. Health officials say
the data is collected by DHS and reported through a new online tool called Data
Direct – which presents the numbers through interactive charts, graphs and maps.
The data is adjusted monthly, quarterly or annually, depending on how often the
source of the information is updated. Those sources include death and hospital
records, the Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

The most recent numbers show the number of opioid-related
deaths in Wisconsin fell from 932 in 2017 to 838 in 2018, a decrease of 10
percent. Despite the decrease in deaths, hospital emergency room visits for all
opioid-related overdoses in Wisconsin increased by 64 percent between 2014 to
2018. Meanwhile, inpatient stays for overdoses went down 15 percent over the
same period.

In Fond du Lac County, 11 opioid-related deaths were
reported in 2018, along with 34 trips to the emergency room related to opioid
use. Milwaukee County had the most deaths reported in the state last year with
289 and the most emergency room trips with 790.

See the full data from the Department of Health Services hereO